Gas-producing furnace.



F. C. HAMILTON.

GAS PRODUCING FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED APR.26. 1913.

1, 145,892 Patented July 13, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- lA/l/EA/ TOR COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO-.WASHINGTON, D. c.

F. C. HAMILTON. GAS PRODUCING FURNACE- APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. 1913.

1 14mm Patented July 13, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COH WASHINGTON. D. c.

\ ra r aar i FIF.

FRANK c. HAMILTON, or Kansas CITY, MIssoUiaI.

GAS-PRODUCING FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented ully 13, 1915.

Application filed April 26, 1913. Serial No. 763,734.

State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Producing Furnaces; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it-appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates toa gas producing furnace and has for its principal object to provide an apparatus wherein volatile gases are removed from low grade coal and mixed with preheated air to produce a combustible fuel gas. In accomplishing this object I provide a primary combustion chamber wherein green coal may be spread upon a foundation of coal undergoing a coking process, and which in turn is supported on a bed of incandescent coke, through which a blast of steam or air, or'both steam and air, is driven so that oxygen in the air may combine with carbon from the coal to produce monoxid gas (G0), which may later be mixed with preheated air to render it combustible, and wherein volatile gases given off from the green coal may also mingle with preheated air and with the monoxid gas, to produce a gas which may be burned to C0,, or complete combustion.-

The apparatus is so constructed that a bed.

of green coal is primarily supported on a bed of ashes, or the like, contained within a water trap or lute, from which ashes may be removed during the gas producing process, in order that the green coal may be maintained at a desired level within the primary chamber, thereby doing away with the ordinary grates.

In carrying out the invention I also prefer to provideimproved means for conducting fresh air to the mixing or secondary combustion chamber in such proximity to the chambers that the air be heated prior to commingling with the gas that is driven up from the coal beds, andthereby provide a proper combustible mixture. I also prefer to use the mixing chamber as a secondary combustion chamber, so that the gases may be burned immediately following the process, and I have illustrated such construction in the accompanying drawing In the drawings wherein the preferred form of the invention is illustrated :Figure I isa perspective view of a gas producing furnace, constructed according to myinvention, a part of the wall being broken away to illustrate the air conduits. Fig. II

is a cross section, on the line IIII Fig. III. Fig. III is-a longitudinal section of the furnace.

Referring more in detail to the parts 2-- 1 designates the furnace casing, which is preferably constructed of brick, and erected upon a sunken foundation 2, of concrete. The front part of the casing comprises a forwardly projecting primary combustion or producing section 3, and the pit within which the furnace is located is projected forwardly of the primary chamber in order to expose the water lute and afford access when it is necessary to remove ashes.

The backof the primary combustion portion comprises a wall 5, having a forwardly inclined-top 6, and a downwardly and, forwardly inclined lower shelf 7 over hanging the rear ofa lute 8, into which ashes are adapted to pass freely from the hopperlike interior of the primary chamber, and from which the ashes are drawn. The shelf 7 and inclined forward part 9 of the primary chamber are supportedby a metal-plate 10,

which is turned upwardly at the front to form a mouth for the lute and facilitate withdrawal of the ashes.

Extendingthrough the bottom of the forward portion f the primary chamber and supported on plate 10 is a conduit 11. hav I ing an. upturned'elbow 12 opening into the primary chamber'and covered by a cowl 13, the forward end of the conduit being also upturned and provided with a damper cover 14:, wherebyadmission of air to the conduit may be regulated. Extending into the forward portion of the conduit and directed inwardly therein is a jet member 15, having connection witha valved pipe 16, through which steam may befinjected into the conduit to be delivered from the cowled end, into the fuel bed, for the purpose of supplying air by forced draft to the incandescent bed of coke and absorbing carbon therefrom to produce monoxid gas.

At the'top of the primary chamber is a hopper l7,:having a mouth 18- located over the fuel bed and controlled by a valve 19, having an arm 20 that is fulcrumed on a standard 21 rising from the side of the primary chamber, the outer end of the arm being provided with weights 22, whereby the weight of the coal within the hopper is counterbalanced, so that the valve may be easily opened when a fresh supply of coal is to be delivered. The primary chamber is also provided with an ordinary fuel door 23,'and with poke holes 24 which'are located at about the level of'the fuel, and areprovided with doors 25, whereby they may be entirely closed, except when access is to be had for leveling or stirring the green coal layer. I also provide the primary chamber with a channel 26 through which fresh air to the mixing orsecondary chamber and provide sufiicient draft to obviate back flow of gas and thereby obviate ign'ition of the gases in the primary combustion chamberl Located in the ceiling of the primary combustion chamber is .a conduit 27, having a mouth 28 opening toithe mixing or secondary combustion chamber 29 into which the "channel 30 formed between the back. Wall 5 and the ceiling of, the primary chainber deliver, the front end of the conduit being extended forwardlyover the primary chamber "and having branches extended laterally tdtheside wall and downwardly therein. The lower ends of the branches are turned backwardly in the side walls and communicate with a conduit 32 in the dividing wall,having branches 33 extendingoutwa r ly Jto 'thefside of the casing where they extend forwardly to the front of the casing open through ports 34. The conduit .32 also "cdmn' unic e with a fidiiie which extends b ack beneath and partially chreagh' the mixing chamber 29 to the of the chamber cas ing, where it is turned downwardly and opens through um s n l he I p t 9 t s bein PrfQ'. dea Y 1 39 i 3 wher b he diss b q mav c n ol e The l w P rt n o h casing to th rear or the back Wal of 7 Q prim ry 91W?!- ber, is preferably filledwith'earth' or other ma i an fl m 3. s s prib ed Q' suc fillingj The filling is preferably .iri lined rva i lyt r mei t ,8 in he k o the wsiflg; Wh c co muni a s w h as 9; thi'q h'vhic a m ,bs n s f om is u esa-a wh ch m srve o p vi a dra w ei t e as are bur d d er "th bib er 397 a ke tructu e tth may Q m Pes 9f e furna e: Tl peratifi th fur a she a ashes is 'lad i t s 'p adusr ch mbr amass af sa aooaza a) a a; a sassin-the ut and c qse the hp qm'bf the" Primer? ,ama iqnbh mb A as he r nse and 'greer't'coahth'r own" onuntil' it is level with the lower edge of the door, after which the door and poke holes are tightly closed. The hopper valve 19 is then opened and the damperlA- regulated so that a blast of steam and air, or air or steam alone, is delivered to the center of the chamber. The coal around the cowl 13 becomes incandescent, that immediately above forms into coke and the top coal distils and works down to form the incandescent bed, the gases driven off by distillation rising in the primary chamber and passing through th connecting mouth into the secondary combustion chamber, where it combines with. the pre-heated fresh air from the air conduits and is entirely consumed beneath the boiler or is carried off through the flue 3.).

In addition to the natural combustible gases in the coal, carbon dioxid (CO forms in the lower zone of the incandescent coals and passes upwardly therethrough, giving up one atom of its oxygen to combine with one atom of carbon to form another volume of monoxid gas (CO) which passes into the secondary combustion chamber with the other volatile gases. The free atom of oxygen combines with a free atom ofcarbon in the coke zone, thus furnishing an additional molecule of carbon monoxid for the combustion chamber.

It will be seen that the pro-heated air receives its heat through the walls of the producer chamber or from'the lower part of the secondary combustion chamber, thereby causing no loss of heat energy in bringing it to the're'quired temperature. It will also be'seen that by virtue of the low temperature in the'producer chamber, the silicates in'the coal are not melted and little'or no clinker forms.

As the ashes fall into the lute 8 they retain a portion of their heat, which generates steam. This passes upwardly through the incandescent zone and through the coke zone, where it furnishes free hydrogen for the combustion chamber and oxygen for unitingwith the carbon of the coke, to form carbon monoxid, which also passes into the combustion chamber.

The condition of the producer may be observed through the poke holes Qi and when more coal is required the weight 22 is raised to release the valve 19 and allow coal from the hopper to enter the primary or producer chamber, the "green coal being spread to form a thinlayer through which the lower gases may pass to carry primary gases to the mixer before they areignited.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure y et s -Pa efi s=' '1. A gas producing furnace comprising a casing having bridge wall dividing its interior into separate producer and combus tion chambers,"said"bridge' wall being imperforate as regards the chambers and having the top portion over the producer chamber spaced from the top of the bridge wall to form a throat between the producer and combustion chambers; said top portion of the casing having a conduit with a mouth opening into said throat immediately above said bridge wall and adapted for discharging across the flow of gas threthrough and havinobranch conduits at its forward end extending to the side walls of the casing at opposite sides of the combustion chamber, the said bridge wall having a vertical conduit at its center and the said side walls having upper and lower horizontal conduits ex tending therethrough, with the upper conduits extending into the bridge wall and connecting with the upper portion of the bridge wall conduit at their rear ends and extending upwardly and communicating with the top wall conduits at their upper ends, and the lower side wall conduits extending into the bridge wall and communieating with the lower portion of the bridge wall conduit at their rear ends and opening through the front of the casing at their forward ends, substantially as set forth.

2. A gas producing furnace comprising a casing having a bridge wall dividing its interior into separate producer and combustion chambers and having an imperforate inclined upper end; the said casing comprising a ceiling over the producer chamber, having its rear end spaced upwardly and forwardly from the top of the bridge wall to form a throat and having an offset facing the combustion chamber, the bridge wall having a vertical conduit, each side wall having a lower conduit with its forward end opening through the front of the casing and its rear end extending through the bridge wall and communicating with the conduit therein,

each side wall also having an upper conduit with its rear end extending into the bridge wall and communicating with the upper portion of the conduit therein and its forward end extending upwardly and turned into the ceiling, the ceiling having a conduit communicating with both of the side wall conduits and with its rear end terminating over the bridge wall in a downwardly and forwardly inclined mouth whereby air may be delivered from said mouth downwardly into the combustion chamber and across the path of gas flowing through the mouth from the producer chamber.

3. A gas producing furnace comprising a casing having a bridge wall forming front and rear combustion chambers, said casing having three air inlet pasages, two of said passages leading from the front of the casing along the sides of the front combustion chamber and the third passage leading from the rear of the casing immediately beneath the rear combustion chamber, said passages uniting in said bridge wall, the ceiling of said front combustion chamber having a single central air passage therein provided with a discharge opening immediately above the bridge wall, said last mentioned passage being branched and the branches running laterally to the sides of the front combustion chamber then downwardly, then rearwardly to the bridge wall, and then inwardly through the bridge wall to a junction with the passage formed by the uniting of the air inlet passages previously mentioned.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK C. HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR W. CAPs, LETA E. COAT- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

